Featured

Inspired by the works of Arthur C. Clarke, J.G. Ballard and Philip K. Dick, Infinite Summer sees Michael Lovett’s NZCA Lines “marry sci-fi futurism to personal intimacies” to produce what must surely be one of the funkiest apocalyptic concept albums of all time. Indeed, also featuring former Ash guitarist Charlotte Hatherley and drummer Sarah Jones (Hot Chip, New Young Pony Club), the follow-up to 2012’s self-titled debut may center on […]

Named after a term used for trained assassins he heard in a documentary on espionage, Skilled Mechanics sees trip-hop trailblazer Tricky assemble his own killer team for the most collaborative studio effort of his lengthy career. Some of those on board are no stranger to the world of Adrian Thaws, including regular vocalist Francesca Belmonte who lends her sultry tones to the eerie synth-balladry of “We Begin,” drummer Luke Harris […]

As you’d expect from a founding member of studious classical-electro outfit Clean Bandit, British-Ugandan vocalist/rapper Love Ssega certainly isn’t short on brainpower. Born and raised in South London, the 24-year-old graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, then made the brave decision to quit the aforementioned Grammy winners to finish his Ph.D. in laser sensing. Love Ssega (real name Ssegawa-Ssekintu Kiwanuka) is just as cultured as he […]

Judging by all the pre-release talk of shunning EDM, steering dance music back into a proper direction and making a piece of art, you’d expect Steve Angello’s second solo LP, Wild Youth, to be something of a game-changer. So it’s slightly baffling to hear that the Stockholm DJ has delivered the kind of unadventurous, generic and largely forgettable record he appears to be rallying against. Indeed, featuring guest appearances from […]

David Bowie, arguably one of the most influential figures in modern music for the past 40-plus years, died on Sunday, Jan. 10 after a battle with cancer. He was 69. While previous rumors of his death in years past were greatly exaggerated, the news has been confirmed by Bowie’s representatives and his son Duncan Jones (via Twitter). The following statement appears on Bowie’s official Facebook page: “David Bowie died peacefully […]

So after crowning Jamie xx’s “Loud Places” and Bob Moses’ Days Gone By as the greatest single and album of 2015 respectively, we now switch our attention to what we can expect to hear over the next twelve months in the world of dance/electronica. The first big album out of the blocks this year is Moth (Jan 22), the third album from alt-pop duo Chairlift, which judging by its first […]

Wiz Khalifa, “Taylor Allderdice”: Album review

Wiz Khalifa’s largely self-constructed reputation as a party hound has persisted through three studio albums and at least as many mixtapes without so much as a chink marring its heavily hot-boxed armor. While Taylor Allerdice doesn’t exactly torpedo this notion, it at least begins calling it into question, which makes the mixtape one of Khalifa’s most interesting releases to date.

If you’ll recall, we last left Khalifa in 2011 when the Pittsburgh-based MC had earned international renown thanks to the single “Black and Yellow”. That bit of hometown lionization came off of Rolling Papers, Khalifa’s third studio album (and first for Atlantic Records). Like the albums that preceded it, Rolling Papers maintained a myopic focus on Khalifa’s favorite subject: partying.

While it’s been established that Rolling Papers’ moniker is a reference to Khalifa’s hidden plans for a mysterious type of circular printer paper, it should also be mentioned that the man likes weed a LOT. His travel schedule is infamous, as is his penchant for rooftop hot tubs, blunts and women who enjoy both of the aforementioned. Khalifa’s rhymes can seem stale when he prattles about the life of a pop jet setter, but by all appearances he’s just giving a play-by-play of what he sees.

Taylor Allderdice comes ahead of O.N.I.F.C., Khalifa’s fourth studio album, which is slated for release later this year. Khalifa has already established himself as too workaholic a soul to put out B-grade material, and Taylor Allderdice (named after Khalifa’s Pittsburgh high school) could easily hold its own as a commercial product. The release culls tracks mostly from local Pittsburgh producers, which might account for its being a more considered specimen than Khalifa’s earlier works.

Whereas Rolling Papers and 2009’s Deal or No Deal favored beats so broad that they could be seen at a mile’s distance, Taylor Allderdice features a more mercurial, menacing production. Mid-tempo beats with slim instrumentation establish a mood that might even be called “introspective”.

Interview segments, wherein Khalifa expounds a rambling manifesto/defense of his career thus far, bookend Taylor Allderdice’s tracks. In these clips, he reveals a hunger for a reputation grander than that of the party rapper, even if he’s not quite clear about what that reputation might entail.

On “Nameless,” Khalifa raps “Lot of young n****s getting made, but I’m the realest / Give a f**k about if a n**** hatin’ / My dollar accumulation my only motivation”. Khalifa has indulged in this kind of posturing before, but on Taylor Allderdice it sounds like he means it. It’s small, but if you look closely, you can just see the chip beginning to form on Khalifa’s shoulder.

Of course, two tracks before this, Khalifa was rapping about getting high and watching Netflix, so it’s hard to regard his grandiosity with a completely straight face. Whether he’s a world-killer or a give-a-shit-less artisan is a question that even he can’t seem to adequately answer.

Khalifa’s incipient ambitions (and his instinct for pop music’s prevailing winds) are vaguely reminiscent of an early Kanye West, an artist for whom Khalifa has expressed admiration. However, whereas Yeezy’s albums offer a glimpse into the insatiable hunger that fuels his acquisition of cars and women, Khalifa hasn’t delved very deep into his own obsession with “good life” signifiers. Taylor Allderdice dabbles its toes in this murky territory, but before the landscape can be fully explored, we’re off to the next party.

Share and Enjoy

About the Author

Shane Danaher's affection for pop music has peppered his adult life with a variety of aesthetically rewarding and financially disastrous decisions. After moving to Portland, Oregon for college (because that's where he heard Modest Mouse was from) Shane has wound up participating in the music world in roles ranging from 'drummer' to 'promoter' to 'bathroom floor scrubber.' He has toured without money, written about almost every band ever to have come out of the Pacific Northwest, and one time traveled all the way to Los Angeles just to see a catch hip-hop show.
He currently resides in Portland, where he writes about hip-hop, pop and rock music for a variety of publications. He still plays drums. He wants to meet Kanye West.